Stretcher, particularly for shoe straps



June 13, 1961 H. sUssMAN STRETCHER, PARTICULARLY FOR SHOE STRAPS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 14, 1958 FIG2 5 flu. F

June 13, 1961 Filed July 14, 1958 H. sUssMAN 2,987,790

s'rgETcHEKmARTIcULARLY FOR SHOE STRAPS FIG. I3

INM/Vm@t #EA/,QI SUSSMHN United States Patent C) 2,987,790 'STRETCHER PARTICULARLY FOR SHOE STRAPS Henri Sussman, 302 Rue Paradis, Marseille, France Filed July 14, 1958, Ser. No. 748,543 Claims priority, application France July 19, 1957 1 Claim. (Cl. 24-71) The present invention has for its object the provision of a stretcher for straps, particularly for shoe straps, which is characterised by the pivotable mounting of a buckle, of known kind, with a likewise known element formed of a resilient lever in the shape of a U and which is pivoted on a plate provided with two cams for the separations of the arms of this U lever, the coupling of this buckle with this element being eected by means of a hollow member into which pass a part of the buckle and the base of the U-lever.

This hollow member can be a free cylinder or a iixed cylinder. It can be a single element such as a roller, or in parts, such as a succession of parts in the form of annuli or rings.

The buckle can be of any kind, and have a tongue either pivoted ad hoc on the cross member, or xed and coupled to the forward cross member of the buckle, or to any other.

rI'he cam plate is xed to one part of the strap or to the shoe, whilst the other part of the strap, suitably pierced with holes, is xed to the buckle with the possibility of adjustment by choosing the appropriate hole into which the tongue is introduced.

The accompanying drawing shows schematically and by way of non-limiting examples, some practical constructions of the invention, taken among numerous forms which are shown likewise by way of non-limiting example.

FIGS. 1 to 5 concern the case of a buckle with tongue pivoted on the central cross member of the said buckle.

FIGS. 6 to l5 concern the case of a buckle with xed tongue, formed on the forward cross member of the said buckle.

FIG. l shows in plan the complete stretcher, placed flat that is to say its various parts being deployed one after another in the same plane.

FIG. 2 is a View in elevation of the stretcher of FIG. l in identical position.

FIG. 3 is analogous to FIG. 2, after addition of the part of the strap which is free and provided with holes, this part being passed into the buckle for a required adjustment produced by the choice of the hole which has been entered by the tongue (FIG. 3 sectioned on ana).

FIG. 4 is analogous to FIG. 2 (not sectioned), after addition of the free part of the strap and of the two parts of the shoe which is to be done up or undone by operation of the stretcher, and after folding in half of the said stretcher, in order to produce a beginning of the tightening of the strap.

FIG. 5 is analogous to FIG. 3, but the stretcher is closed completely by the continuation, according to the arrows in FIG. 4, of the folding of the said stretcher.

FIG. 6 shows a part of FIG. l, seen from below, in the case where the hollow pivoted coupling member of the buckle and of the elastic U-lever is formed of several free parts placed one after another to form as a whole a member which constitutes the single piece cylinder shown in FIG. l.

FIG. 7 is a View from above of the buckle and of a part of the elastic U-lever, the coupling member being a singlepiece fixed cylinder, forming a single bearing, and being manufactured from the rear cross member of the buckle by bending of the projecting parts situated at the two sides of the said cross member.

FIG. 8 is a View from below the buckle of FIG. 7.

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FIG. 9 is a view in elevation, and FIG. 10 is analogous but sectioned along a'-a, in the same case shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 11 is analogous to FIG. 7, but the buckle is isolated, and its manufacture is only at the first stage; projecting portions cut after cutting of the buckle, but not yet bent.

FIG. l2 is a view analogous to FIG. 7, but concerns the case of a pivoted coupling member for the buckle and the spring U which is made in parts and fixed, forming two bearings which are constituted by four adjacent portions formed on the two sides of the rear cross member, with two at one side and two at the other.

FIG. 13 is a view from below of the buckle of FIG. l2.

FIG. 14 shows, alone, the buckle of FIGS. l2 and 13, when it is at the tirst stage of manufacture; the four projecting portions are not yet bent up.

FIG. l5 is analogous to FIG.14, but is concerned with the case where two projections are made at a single side of the cross member, and sufficiently long to form the coupling member when they are bent.

On these drawings there can be seen the buckle 1, which could have any other shape, and which is mounted, by its rear cross member 2 (or passing cross member) on the resilient lever 3 in the shape of a U of the stretcher, by means of a hollow member designated by 4 on FIGS. l to 6. This member 4 can be a free roller analogous to the rollers which are commonly found on the forward cross members of buckles of current type: but in the stretcher which forms the subject of the present invention, it is placed on the rear cross member known as the passing cross member, in order to serve for the coupling of this rear cross member 2 to the resilient U-lever 3; this hollow coupling member serves moreover for the protection of the free extremity E of the free part of the strap B, when a pull is exerted on the said extremity E according to the arrow of FIG. 5, in order to cause the opening of the assembly when it has previously been closed; this opening is equivalent to a deploying of the constituent parts of the stretcher,

During the closing or the complete folding of the stretcher, the resilient lever in the form of a U, Which is constituted by a resilient metallic wire, reaches the spacing cams 5 of the plate 6, and these two free arms separate under the action of a part of the length of these cams which are at two opposed oblique angles; then the lever 3 passes under these cams 5 and engages under them to form a locking in this position.

During the opening or unfolding of the stretcher, the lever 3 obeying the relatively strong pull brought about in the direction of the arrow 5 on the free extremity E of the strap B, has its two free arms separated under the action of the other part of the length of these cams 5; then the said lever 3 passes over these cams and disengages threreby facilitating the deployment of these constituent parts of the stretcher after having unlocked it from the closing position.

Thus, a pressure on the buckle until locked, concurrently with its folding, pulls the strap and closes the shoe; inversely, a pull on the free extremity of the strap unlocks the position of closing, deploys the stretcher and extends the strap, opening the shoe. The buckle permits the other 9 for the completion of the mounting by another rivet 8. One of thesek two holes, for example the hole 7, can be provided with a neck assisting its mounting.

Such a stretcher is of simple constitution, and of easy manufacture and little cost; it only comprises three principal members which can be readily made and mounted one on the other easily and rapidly; the lever 3 mounts on the rear passing cross member 2 of the buckle, by the hollow member 3 which is easily bent; the said lever 3 is mounted on the plate 6 by simple introduction of its free extremities of its arms into holes made in the vertical edges carrying the cams 5; this introduction is permitted by the resilience of the arms 0f the U-lever.

When the stretcher is in the position of closing, that is to say folded as shown in FIG. 5, the buckle is visible, as a buckle of known type would be; but, considered in plan, it hides the other parts constituting the stretcher; considered in profile, these other parts are only slightly visible, having only a small thickness and being superposed or interengaged one on or in another.

Modifications are possible, in the manner of FIGS. l to 5.

'Ihe hollow articulated coupling member for the buckle and resilient U-lever could be a simple free one-piece roller, as in FIGS. 1 to 5.

This member could be free but in parts, for example as in FIG. 6 formed of a succession of coupled rings having the same diameter, each part being free and the whole giving the total length that the hollow member should have.

This member can be, not free, but instead xed and in one piece.

This member can be -xed and in parts.

The tongue can be iixed and coupled to the forward cross member in place of being articulated on the central cross member, etc.

In the case of the hollow xed member (false roller for example) it is coupled to the rear cross member; it could be made separately or could be manufactured from the said rear cross member, for example by means of projecting parts formed during manufacture of the buckle, these projecting portions being accordingly bent up to grip the base of the resilient lever in the form of a U.

The buckle can be mounted, because of this, by its rear cross member 2, on the base of the lever 3, by means of Ia single-piece false roller 4b `as in FIGS 7 'to 11; or by means of a `fixed member in two parts 4c as shown in FIGS. 12 to 15.

The members 4b and 4c could be made integral with the rear cross member 2, and thus be bent below.

In FIGS. 7 to 11 there can be seen the two projecting portions d which are formed along the whole length of the rear cross member, the one on one side and the other on the other side.

In FIGS. 12 to 15, there can be seen the projecting portions d which are formed only on a part of the length of the cross member; whether at both sides as shown in FIGS. 12, to 14, or on one side only as in FIG. 15.

'There can be seen in FIGS. 7 to 17 a non-pivoted tongue 11, coupled to the forward cross member 10.

It is obvious that any other tongue could be employed; there could be employed any other system, for holding 4 the strap on the buckle, which would not be a tongue.

'The fixed projection or projections could be bent up, when the resilient lever has its ybase placed above the rear cross member.

The fixed projections could be formed at a single side of the rear cross member, and ybent towards a single side, with junction of the edges on the other side.

When the xed member is made in parts by reason of the multiple projections, and one lot can be formed at one side, the other being formed at the other side, the said one lot being bent to one side and the other being bent to the other side, for example alternately.

The part of parts constituting the hollow coupling member, in the case where it is fixed, can be coupled instead of originating in the projections of the constituent material of the rear cross member; in this case, they can be lixed to the said cross member by any suitable means; soldering, brazing, setting, letting in, etc.

The number and position of the parts constituting the hollow fixed member can be any.

The hollow coupling member, xed or free, can be smooth and in a single piece, or have a decorative form, ornamented, worked, undulated, engine turned etc.

I claim:

A stretcher for tightening shoe straps, comprising a buckle for engagement with a lirst strap portion, said buckle having a cross-bar at one end, a coupling sleeve disposed loosely about said cross member, a U-shaped lever made of resilient wire material and having the intermediate portion between its arms disposed loosely through the coupling sleeve, the free end of each arm of the lever being turned towards each other and aligned, and a cam plate for attachment to a second strap portion, said plate including parallel lateral walls which project normally from side edges of the plate for a short distance and are bent outwardy thereafter and shaped on constitute outwardly directed curved cams, each lateral wall being apertured in its normally projecting portion adjacent an end of the plate to receive the intnrned ends of the arms of the lever constituting therewith a pivot connecting the plate and lever, the separation of the arms of the lever being normally less than that of the cams of the plate whereby upon movement of the lever about its pivot to bring the lever into a position lying beneath the cams, the cams are caused to abut against the arms of the lever and separate said arms further with axial movement of the arm ends through the plate walls until the arms ride over the cams and move inwardly again by their resilience to seat under the outwardly directed portions of the side walls of the plate.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

